


Invulnerable

by koseibetsu



Category: Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul: Re - Fandom, Yaoi - Fandom, juuzou suzuya - Fandom, juuzou suzuya/shinohara, shinohara, yukinori shinohara - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Tokyo Ghoul:Re - Freeform, tokyo ghoul - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 20:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6209041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koseibetsu/pseuds/koseibetsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinohara's life fell to pieces when someone very close to him was killed by ghouls. Now, as he grows up, the young man floats higher and higher through the CCG's ranks and can sense a break through in defeating the ghouls... that is until he picks up a white haired boy with glossed over eyes. He takes this boy under his wing and shows him everything he needs to know about being a CCG agent.<br/>"Something inside of Juuzou stirred and he stared at Shinohara with a look of awe. Could others make him feel this way? Could he make others feel this too? Or was it only between them, here in this moment? This was special, even the troubled child could tell. He wondered if Amon and Akira felt this, if the couple at the market felt this... A warm feeling that starts in your chest and spreads to your other organs. It almost hurt. Shinohara dipped his head down and leaned his forehead against his. Juuzou stared, hands coming up to slip around his wrists.<br/>"... My Juuzou..." He whispered. The boy gasped lightly and cringed at his heart skipping. "All mine." "</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! I came up with an idea and here it is. This will be a multiple chapter Shinozou fan fic. It is loosely inspired by Hamilton The Musical mostly because i’d give my right leg to see the CCG sing Right Hand Man. 
> 
> Please… If you don’t like m/m or the Juuzou/Shinohara ship please don’t read this or make comments. I’m a fragile bean with a soul than can be crushed like a daffodil. I don’t own these characters (besides like Jacque and Kukiko but those are givens). This fic is mostly plot centered around Shinohara and will sometimes stir away from the Tokyo Ghoul plot but staying in character was attempted. NSFW at times (will be tagged and with an R rating) and full of head canons. It’ll be sad, fluffy and smutty I promise. It starts with some made up backstory for Shino as a young investigator so Juuzou will officially be along later it’ll be worth the wait trust me. PG-13 for language and kissin’. This chapter is super duper long.
> 
> Anything written in italics is a flash back, and the page break is a skip in time!

The sun was ablaze and a bead of sweat trickled into the man’s eyes as his chest heaved under the now sticky and soaked cotton of his shirt. He took a moment, stretching out his biceps before reaching down to his toes. The music coming from his ear buds was low enough to hear the thumping and crinkling of rocks under other jogger’s running shoes. Gazing up and looking around the open park, the man stood slowly, rolling every last vertebrae in his spine out. He knew it was stupid to go out jogging on such a hot day. The air was dry and it felt as if the sun’s rays slashed into his exposed skin like a whip. He always kept his body in amazing shape, knowing that he needed to stay strong in case he had to go up against the ghouls. Well… Hopefully go up against the ghouls. As of now, he was only in the academy. Single, masculine, young and handsome, he knew he was meant for great things. His cell phone ring broke him of his thoughts and he reached to the arm band to hit the green answer button and huff out an exhausted “Hello?”

“Shinohara,” a familiar voice came though, his eyes widened and he stood straighter as if that person were there with him. “Am I… Interrupting something?”

“Sir,” he inhaled deeply. “No, sir, out for a jog. What can I help you with?”

“Out for a jog? In this heat? You’re invulnerable aren’t you, kid?”

Shinohara pushed back his sweaty fringe and and exhaled a short “Hah,” he shook his head, glancing down the track at on coming joggers. “I wouldn’t say that much. Just… Strong willed…”

“Humph,” the man in the other line stretched back in his chair. “Your presence is wanted at the CCG headquarters in an hour. Get yourself together and haul ass to the conference office.”

A light flickered in his eyes and Shinohara spun on his heal to head back the way he came. “I can be there in 45 minutes.”

“As long as you’re not late. This could be huge for you, Shinohara. Don’t fuck it up.”

“Sir.” He agreed, hearing the line disconnect and his song resume. The bright eyed nineteen year old smiled faintly as he picked back up his jog, heading to his dorm. What on earth could the director of countermeasures possibly want with him? He was just a rooky but he made extra effort to get noticed. Maybe all that extra work was finally paying off.

 

* * *

 

 

“My name is Yukinori Shinohara!” He announced. “I look forward to working with every single one of you in taking down the ghouls! Thank you for having me on your team!” He bowed respectively, glancing at his new team mates through his fringe. A few looked bored, others looked interested in what this young man had to offer the CCG. Shinohara straightened his back and gave a hopeful grin as the rest of the department dispersed and went back to work or to grab cups of poorly brewed coffee before the meeting was actually called to order.

“Shinohara!” He jumped a bit, eyes widening as a man shoved his hand into his to give him a firm hand shake.

Shinohara tried his best not to stutter. “Special Investigator Ib–”

“Just Iba, alright?” The man finally released his hand. “I am more than thrilled to have you on the team, son. The director of countermeasures, I’m sure, has told you that you’ll be working along side myself and another young agent. Correct?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Well, he won’t be back until tomorrow so we’ll give you the rundown on the case today so you’re not waiting too long to begin your work.”

Shinohara scoffed, “what could be more important than the first day you start fighting ghouls with CCG agents? I’ve dreamed of this day for years! I couldn’t imagine missing it for anything else!”

“Not even your only child’s birthday party?” Iba raised a questioning eyebrow to him and Shinohara was instantly flustered.

“Oh! Well…”

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo,” the older man sighed, taking a seat. “Just relax. You’ll fall right into this job like we know you can. There’s lots of people here that believe in your work and have seen how hard you’ve been training!” Iba brought his coffee cup to rest against his bottom lip and grinned as he added, “We’ve been watching you.”

Shinohara smiled, but then it faded as he realized how creepy that actually sounded. However, he weakly smiled again knowing that it was actually a complement. He took a hesitant seat next to his new superior, trying to fit in with the new surroundings. He reminded himself not to be so god damn flustered all the time.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Your turn, Yukinori-senpai!” the girl’s sweet voice pierced through the boy and sent a chill down his spin that made his hairs stand on edge. His green eyes gazed around the small circle of other thirteen year olds in his class sitting on a dark maroon carpet. They watched him, sticky with birthday cake and other sweets and waited as the little blond girl with violet eyes push the empty bottle into his hand._

_Flustered and red in the face, he took the bottle from her freshly painted pink fingertips. The little girl looked like a princess with a “birthday girl” sash and her light hair done up in curls under a pink party hat._

_“Kukiko, I-I don’t really want to play this g-game anymore…” His changing voice cracked, looking at the bottle in his hands._

_“Aw, what’s the matter, Shinohara-chan?!” Another boy in the circle teased, talking down to him as a few other boys laughed. “Scared to be alone with a girl? Poor thing! Looks like wittle Yukinori will be a kissing virgin his whole life!” The boy began to cackle at his own joke and Kukiko shot him a disapproving look._

_“Shut up!” Her shrill voice raddled their ear drums and the boy winced. “It’s my birthday! And I want none of you making fun of Yukinori! This is my day and I want us all to get along! Got it?!”_

_“Whatever.” The boy scoffed._

_“Go ahead,” she said sweetly, gesturing for Her classmate to take his turn._

_Shinohara gulped and pushed himself to his knees, stretching with the bottle to give it a good spin. The glass bottle wobbled in a circle and began to slow down. The boys heart sank into the pit of his stomach as the bottle landed on one of his classmates. The mouth of the bottle pointed right at a raven haired boy in his class who was admittedly flamboyant and feminine in his looks. He was an exchange student from France, not all that new to the Japanese language, and his accent made Shinohara feel funny in his stomach. His name was Jacque, and the sound of it rang like a bell in Shinohara’s ears. He didn’t know if that funny feeling was good or bad, but he had it whenever Jacque was around, or helped him with his math work, or if he just walked in the room… Now he was staring the other boy right in the eyes, frightened of the new found situation before him. As a rule of the game… Shinohara had to be locked in a tight closet… For seven minutes of “heaven”… With Jacque… A boy who made him uncomfortable in ways he didn’t understand._

_“Eww!” Kukiko scrunched her nose and giggled. “It landed on Jacque!” A light pink tint rose to the French boy’s cheeks and crossed the bridge of his nose. Shinohara watched the other boys blush and it only made him feel that “funny” feeling punch him straight in the gut. “Spin again, Yukinori-senpai! Try to get a girl this time!”_

_Shinohara shook the gaze and snatched the bottle up in his hand and quickly spin it again. The mouth of the bottle landing right on Kukiko. The girl shrieked in delight and she grabbed the small Shinohara by his button up party shirt and dragged him into the closet. The other students laughed and cheered, locking the door behind them and setting the timer._

_Shinohara reminded himself to not be so damn flustered as he felt Kukiko’s hands rest on his shoulders. “Ever kiss a girl before, Yukinori?” She whispered, voice still managing to be as shrill and irritating as ever._

_“Yes,” he lied. Kissing the back of his hand didn’t count as kissing a girl and he was surprised as how quickly he answered her question._

_“Do you wanna kiss me?” She giggled and he felt her body move closer to his._

_With that he hesitated. The appeal of kissing a girl never really crossed his mind… He then realized he only ever practiced kissing when he met Jacque. “Y-yes…” He answered despite himself. Boys were supposed to kiss girls, not other boys… No matter how French and kind and smart and… Beautiful. Feeling two sugary lips press against his, it broke every thought in Shinohara’s mind. Kukiko’s lips were sticky from lip gloss, crusted with cupcake crumbs and pressed into his lips so hard that he was sure his two front teeth were about to pop out and lodge down his windpipe. It was horrible and went on for what seemed like ages until another one of their classmates knocked heavily against the door._

_“Times up!” They announced and Kukiko released Shinohara from her grip. The boy gasped for air and used the darkness of the closet to cover up wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. The two exited the closet, Kukiko with a smug grin and a raised chin and Shinohara with a red face and bruised lips. That was worse than seeing the dentist… No worse than visiting his grandmother! The one that likes to pinch his cheeks! Shinohara sat back in the circle, somewhat traumatized by the remembrance of cake crumbs stuck in sticky gloss mixing with his saliva and creating a gross, thick taste at the back of his throat. He drank back some of his juice trying to ride the taste of that artificial goop the teenage girl caked onto her mouth._

_For the rest of the party, the young Shinohara went through the motions of the birthday party until it was late and many children began to leave, making the trip down the hillside to the road where their parents waited for them in their cars. Shinohara sat alone under the dim light of a lantern, waiting for his mother at the top of the hill. She was late, she was always late and Shinohara found himself alone until a familiar voice drained his face of color and made his heart jump into his throat._

_“Hello, Yukinori-San…” Jacque smiled behind him, looking down to Shinohara with big dark blue eyes. Shinohara’s mouth went dry, looking over his shoulder to his classmate and ignoring the French boy’s misuse of a title. “The night is beautiful, oui?” The raven’s use of Japanese and French made something in Shinohara swoon. “Can I sit with you?”_

_“Oh, yeah… Course.” Shinohara laughed shortly and cleared his throat, moving over on the wooden bench outside of Kukiko’s house for Jacque to sit gracefully by his side. He tried to remind himself that boys liked girls… The more he said it the more he noticed ever little detail that had been attracting him to his new classmate for months._

_“Merci,” he chimed, floating down next to him like a feather. “Did you have fun tonight? I had a great time. I nearly wet my pants when Yoshi did that impression of that cartoon character!” Jacque laughed genuinely, smiling at Shinohara who chuckled a bit._

_“Yeah…” He said quietly, “it was funny…” A silence fell between them. It was comfortable and relaxing, just the two of them. Shinohara wished they could stay like that forever. So many thoughts were in his head and he understood none of it. He had been told since birth to have these feelings with a girl… But girls were people, and boys were people? Can’t two people feel good together?_

_“Hey, senpai?” Jacque looked to his friend with a smile passing his pink lips. “How was it in heaven with Kukiko?”_

_Shinohara groaned and threw his head back. “Between you and me? Terrible… She has bits of cake in her lip stick or whatever they call it. And she practically ate my face. Thought we’d have to call the CCG to get her arrested or something.” He laughed, smiling harder as Jacque laughed with him. “I don’t understand girls and make up.”_

_“Want to know what I think?” His accent was smooth and his Japanese was so easy to understand. Shinohara nodded, mesmerized by his voice. “I think it would have been better if I was in there with you instead. Oui?” His dark blue eyes flickered from his lips back to his great green eyes. “I like the way you look at me. You like me. Oui?” He wondered again, leaning in closer._

_Shinohara tensed, watching the boys mouth move as he started to tilt his head. “…Yes.” He admitted. Jacque then whispered in French and his lips found his classmate’s under the dim light of the candle lit lantern. The French boy’s lips were soft and careful as he lead Shinohara in a small and careful kiss. Before he knew it, the raven haired boy broke the kiss and smiled._

_“Merci,” he whispered._

_“Yahh…” the smaller boy managed, eyes half lidded._

_“Again?”_

_Shinohara quickly nodded, but as Jacque leaned in, there was a honk from a horn. He stood with a fright, looking down the hill to see his mother smiling and waving up to him. “Shoot… Uh… Bye, Jacque!”_

_“Bon voyage, Yukinori.” He said sweetly, watching Shinohara trample through the grass down to the road._

_“Who was that? A friend?” His mother questioned as he buckled his seatbelt._

_“Uh… Yeah… Jacque.”_

_“Does he need a ride home? I’d hate to leave him out here…”_

_“No!” Shinohara practically shouted before clearing his throat. “No. It’s okay his mother just called actually… Said she was right around the corner! Yeah! He doesn’t need a ride!”_

_His mother eyed him suspiciously. “Alright,” she shrugged, pulling away from the curb._

_Shinohara glanced back up the hillside to the slender figure illuminated by dim light like a dark angel. He was a boy who liked boys… How strange this feeling of self assurance was for him. He reminded himself not to get so god damn flustered next time._

 

* * *

 

 

“Shinohara!”

“Ah!” The man gasped and jerked awake, quickly picking his head up from his desk. He looked around at his surroundings, finding that he was sitting in his apartment with Iba standing over him. “Wha… What time is it?” The man squinted at the clock above his desk and gasped again before staggering to his feet. “Shit! Shit!” Shinohara quickly started to strip himself of his clothes from the day before, only to break a button on his shirt and curse at himself. “Oh uh…” He quickly bowed at his superior. “Good morning, sir! I apologize!"

"Shinohara, it’s fine. I stopped by to tell you the meeting for today was cancelled… But it looks like you were probably going to miss it anyway?” Iba crossed his arms over his chest, raising the same eyebrow as the day before.

“Well… Uh… No, I mean,” the nineteen year old combed his fingers through his hair. “How did you get in here?"

"You leave your door unlocked,” he stated. “That’s dangerous. I knocked a few times and opened it. Had to check your pulse to make sure you were actually alive. Then you started muttering. You know they say that talking in your sleep is a sign of a lack of a sex life."

"Uh, who is they?"

"My mother,” he chuckled, indicating that it was a joke. Shinohara laughed nervously in front of his partner with a half smile. “Well, glad to see you’re okay.” Iba began pacing the room, looking around at the very limited wall art and few picture frames Shinohara had on his side table and desk. “You live here alone?"

"Yes."

"It’s very nice for a student your age."

"My mother left me money when she passed away.” He said proudly, reaching down to kick off the shoes he slept in.

“And your father?” Iba wondered, looking around for a picture of a possible father figure.

“He left when I was really young… I don’t have memories of him.” Shinohara explained.

"No girlfriend? Usually someone your age is starting to look to settle down.“

"Uh no…” He said awkwardly. “No girl as of late.” Very, very late.

"Boyfriend?“ He wondered with a cheeky smile, picking up a framed picture of Shinohara’s mother.

"Excuse me? Oh, no! None of that either!"

Iba snickered, putting down the picture and moving to the next. "But it is a male preference?"

"H… How do you know that?” Oh god! What if he was just dripping with homosexuality? Was he so transparent?

"I don’t know that. I was teasing, you confirmed it.“

Shinohara’s face flushed. "Oh sweet Jesus…"

"It’s fine, Shinohara,” Iba chuckled, looking at a small picture of a black haired boy. “It doesn’t effect your work and anything that’s said in here stays in here.” Shinohara let out a sigh of relief. “Try not to be so nervous all the time. You’re a rock, son, remember that. we wanted you as an agent for a reason.” The man picked up the picture and hummed at it, trying to figure out Shinohara’s relationship to the teenage boy in the photo. “Who is this? Friend? Cousin?”

“Jac?” Glancing over his shoulder, Shinohara took the photo frame in his hand. “No. That uh… Was kind of my boyfriend… for about five years.” He explained, his brow furrowing.

"Oh yeah?“ Iba grinned. "What happened? Did you blow it?”

Shinohara sucked his teeth and sat the picture frame down where it was originally place. “It’s a long story.”

“Hey, we have time. Plus I’d like to know more about you if we’ll be working together.” Iba insisted, taking a seat at the desk. Shinohara inhaled deeply. It had been a long time since he’d actually spoken of it, in fact, he doesn’t remember talking to anyone but the police.

 

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

 


	2. And He Wept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mado felt the blood leave his face and push through his veins. His muscles burned like fire, and the hatred and rage pulsed through him with every beat of his straining heart. The Owl took off through the hole in the wall and disappeared into the night sky, leaving the doves in a heavy silence."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I’m really shocked by the attention chapter one got and the amount of messages I privately answered over the last couple days. Thank you for your support! Special shout out to my friend Amanda for helping and inspiring me! I adore you, Ice Cream Cone! This will be a multiple chapter Shinozou fan fic. It is loosely inspired by Hamilton The Musical. Please… If you don’t like m/m or the Juuzou/Shinohara ship please don’t read this or make comments. I don’t own these characters (besides like Jacque but that’s a given). This fic is mostly plot centered around Shinohara and will sometimes stir away from the original Tokyo Ghoul plot, but staying in character is assured. It started in chapter one with some made up backstory for Shino as a young investigator so Juuzou will officially be along later it’ll be worth the wait trust me. 
> 
> This chapter is rated R for violence, gore and character death. Mature readers only. (If you’re caught up with TG I really hope you’re okay with blood and guts and stuff otherwise you wouldn’t be reading/watching right? Lol)

_“What are you doing, goofball?” Shinohara chuckled. He watched as the smaller, skinny raven haired teen jumped from puddle to puddle in the theater’s parking lot. The rain pitter-pattered onto Shinohara’s umbrella and rolled off around him as he hopped out of the way of a puddle. “You’re going to get soaked!”_

_“I don’t care!” Jacque exclaimed, doing a small tap dance in a deep puddle. “That movie as amazing, Yukinori!”_

_“I’m glad you liked it.” The bigger man said, putting his lover under the umbrella with him to press his lips against his forehead. “Stay under the umbrella! I don’t want you getting sick!” Shinohara let his arm drape around Jacque with ease. He was only a few inches taller than the raven haired boy and had about a hundred pounds on him._

_Between Jacque’s skinny frame and Shinohara’s muscly build, their friends always swooned over their relationship. They were both in the academy, Jacque studying the science of quinque engineering and Shinohara on his way to becoming an investigator._

_“I wish all of this was snow!” Jacque yerned, putting his bare hand out from under the umbrella to feel rain drops._

_“It’s April!” Shinohara chuckled, opening the car door for him._

_“It’s amazing! Tres beau!” He chuckled, pecking his lips and hopping into the passenger seat._

_They were finally on their way back to their apartment when the rain began to down pour. Shinohara squinted through the windshield as Jacque went ever the entire plot for the movie they had just seen. They were alone on the street for the most part, and the rain didn’t stop Shinohara from driving fast. He quickly glanced from the road to his boyfriend as he rambled on and on. He stared at Jacque’s lips as they moved. He was so beautiful, how his dark blue eyes lit up as he spoke of the parts of the film he was most passionate about and how graceful his hand gestures—_

_“YUKINORI!” The raven shrieked, scrambling to grab the door. Shinohara’s eyes flicked back to the road to see they were speeding towards a figure standing in the rain. He slammed his foot down on the breaks, they screeched and slid, and the wheels spun out. The two listened in horror as the person’s body broke the windshield and rolled over the car, thudding to the wet pavement several feet away. Jacque’s hands scrambled to open the car door, “OH MY GOD! YOU HIT HER! OH MY GOD!”_

_Shinohara practically fell out of the car while Jacque was already approaching he lifeless body in the street. Jacque’s shaking hand rolled the woman over to see she was wearing a plain white mask. Shinohara jumped and Jacque shrieked again, stumbling back and quickly kicking away from the body. Suddenly, the woman rose, every bone in her body cracking as she stretched out. She lifted her hands to crack her neck back in place. The woman slowly turned her head to look down at Jacque with those eyes humans feared all over Japan… ghoul’s eyes. The female ghoul released her kagnue and wrapped the red tentacle like organ around him and he let out a scream of terror._

_“Jac…” Shinohara watched in horror as the person he loved was raised into the air. He was frozen, he couldn’t do a thing…_

_“YUKINORI! HELP!” He cried, screaming in horror at the top of his lungs. The ghoul squeezed tighter and Jacque gasped for air but still managed to scream. Higher and higher he was lifted by her kagnue, “HEL-” She slammed him into the car, breaking out all the windows and denting the vehicle in half. Again, she lifted him and slammed him down onto the car a second time. His body was lifeless and she tossed him aside, his bones cracking at the impact on the pavement._

_Shinohara stared at his body and began to hyperventilate. A pool of blood began to wash away with the rain and his tears mixed with the drops that fell on his cheeks. The ghoul watched, head tilted as this large man released whimpers and sobs. She braced herself when he let out a gut wrenching wail and started to speed through the rain towards her. She swung her kagnue, aiming to strike him, but Shinohara dodged it. Soon, his hand was around her throat, squeezing and slowly overpowering her. One of his large hands came around her back to the source of her kagnue. “I will rip you apart, bitch.” He snarled through his teeth, scratching the red organ and attempting to pull it from her back. The ghoul stared at him through the eye holes in her mask and lifted her fist, striking Shinohara and knocking him back onto the asphalt. She reached back down and took him up by his neck, pressing her fingertips into his throat and cutting off his air supply. His vision just began to blur and there was a sharp noise from something cutting through the air. Shinohara felt himself fall back on the pavement, again, coughing and blinking to focus his eyes on a severed arm. He shouted before looking up and seeing two men with quinques in full body armor._

_“Are you okay, kid?” An agent knelt by his side. Shinohara looked to Jacque who was already being worked on to revive by EMTs. “Kid… hey!” The man’s voice sounded like he was underwater and he could hear his heart hammering in his ears as he watched Jacque’s body convulse and lift off the ground with every shock of electricity they exposed him to. He watched the EMT mouth orders to other workers. He could hear her shout: “Clear!”, watched the others take their hands off him, his back arch, then he was hidden again by the mayhem, In the distance there was another ambulance wailing and they lifted Jacque’s body onto a stretcher. The ambulance pulled away. But there were no lights, no sirens, no hurry… why weren’t they hurrying?_

 

* * *

 

 

**Errr… errr… errr…**

Shinohara’s eyes opened slowly and he groaned. His hand reached over and slammed down on the snooze button. He rolled back over to get a few more minutes of sleep, only to be shaken awake again by his cell phone ringing. He whimpered and picked it up. “Hello?” He moaned, sitting up.

“Shinohara!” Iba’s voice came through the receiver. “Good morning! I wanted to get you before you headed to the office today. Mado and I got up late this morning and wanted to know if you could possibly stop to grab us some breakfast on the way into work this morning!”

Shinohara stared at the wall opposite him, trying to register what his team mate was going on about. “Uh… yeah, yeah… sure…” He yawned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“You the best!” Iba hung up with a click.

The large man let out a huff as he stretched out his back and hobbled tiredly to the bathroom. Sure, Shinohara was always a strong willed and happy man, however he was in no way a morning person. He came to the sure conclusion that it doesn’t matter how early he went to bed or how late he woke up, he’d still look like a zombie. He sighed at his aging reflection in the mirror tilting his chin up to look at his stubble and stared closely at the wrinkles in his skin that seemed like they formed over night. Seven years of wear and tare, this man now in his late twenties still found the thrill in hunting and terminating ghouls to keep Tokyo safe. He was still built like a stallion and was now everyone’s favorite. He was a father figure to all around him, strange given the fact he never actually knew what a father was supposed to do. Over the years he watched Mado with his daughter and Iba with his young grandchildren, applied it and felt the ease that came with just being genuinely nice and interested in everyone’s lives; especially if they were his underlings. He was still alone in his home, now residing in a new apartment looking over the city from the top floor of the complex. He was busy, never too busy, and never the stressed out type. Although he felt a feeling in his gut that something was going to go bad. He shook the feeling and got started with his day. His team was strong, practically unbeatable.

 

* * *

 

 

“Ladies and gentleman, the Corpse Collector has been seen excessively in the last month,” Iba pressed the button on the small remote he held that controlled the power point. “Shinohara, what do we know so far?”

“The Collector has been seen lurking on roof tops and ally ways in the 20th ward.” Shinohara nodded to Iba to change the slide. “All we know so far is that he does not kill his victims, but harvests the bodies of people who have already died. Either by natural causes or suicides. He can be found in full body armor, like a knight.” Iba changed the slide again to a sketch taken from a witness. “Even though he doesn’t fight to kill, he his still considered a very dangerous ghoul and should be treated as such.” The slide changed again. “When we get out there do no hesitate to take him down! The Owl was spotted tonight as well! Squads A through X will assist Mado, Iba and myself in taking down the Collector! The rest of you are in charge of hunting down the Owl! Don’t let us down!”

“Let’s kick some ass!” Iba announced, throwing his fist into the air.

“Yes, sir!” The other agents roared, standing to their feet and saluted before half jogging from the room.

“Don’t get yourself hurt out there. Okay, Kasuka?” Shinohara heard Mado from over his shoulder and turned to watch the exchange between the white haired man and his wife.

“Hmmm, worried, huh?” The blond smiled up at him.

Mado grinned. “Always.”

“Don’t be scared,” she whispered and Shinohara turned away so they could share a kiss in private. He smiled to himself for Mado. “I love you! Kill it out there, alright?!” She said, jogging backwards with a smile before disappearing into the crowd of other agents.

“I love you more…” Mado muttered.

Shinohara patted his back. “We got this. She’s got this. She’s ten times stronger than all of us, Mado.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s why I’m terrified.”

 

* * *

 

 

Arima groaned and leaned back in his seat. “This is boring,” he complained. “I cannot believe that we were sent out here for no reason.”

“It’s not for nothing,” Shinohara had a grin on his face as he read through The Owl’s file, jotting notes in the margins.

“We’ve been out here for hours. We haven’t seen a single living soul all night. I say we call it a quits.” Arima crossed his arms over his chest and turned his attention out the window.

“I agree,” Iba sighed as he stepped onto the bus. “Let’s pack it up, boys, sorry for the lack of entertainment around here–”

“ _Mado to squad A, come in squad A!_ ” A voice broke through the radio and Iba quickly picked up. Mado frowned and sat up, recognizing his wife’s voice.

“This is Iba, how’s it going out there?”

“ _We need back up on the 124th floor! The One-Eyed Owl has been seen! I repeat the One-Eye… Back up… Casualties… Dead… Help!…_ ”

“Mado? You’re breaking up.”

“ _… Oh my god… Blood… Are dead…_ ” There was a shriek that broke through the radio static and Mado jumped to his feet.

“Kasuka…” Mado’s eyes slowly welled up in tears, watching and waiting for her voice to come back through the radio.

Iba quickly changed frequencies. “Iba to Mado, come in Mado!” With no luck he threw the radio’s mic against the receiver. “You all heard it! Let’s get out there!”

At his command, the doves flew to each of their buses, gearing up for the fight. But Mado stood still, as if the world around him were moving slowly. Shinohara broke through his trance, shaking his shoulder and pushing his silver case into his hands.

“We can’t do this without you, Mado.” He said, “We can help her. Just get it together! Don’t lose yourself out there!”

Mado stared at him for a moment before a look of determination crossed his face. “I got your back!” He offered a hand and Shinohara grinned, taking his hand in his and squeezing out a small hand shake and there they went. The team sped off towards the 24th ward, suited up and ready for combat.

 

* * *

 

 

Kasuka’s heart hammered in her chest as she got back to her feet. Sweat blurred her vision and she saw sparks flying from her radio. She quickly ripped it off her armor, throwing it down before taking her quinque in two hands.

“Mado!” Marude barked, dogging an attack from the owl. “You’re stronger than all of us! People are dying! Your friends are dying! You’re the only one that can hold him off while we get everyone out of here! Do you understand?!”

Kasuka panted, but nodded to confirm and took a ready stance before taking a running start at the Owl. She struck the kagnue at the source, doing minimal damage but gaining the ghoul’s attention. A smirk ran across her face and she lunged, taking another great hit at the Owl. She always felt at her most powerful when fighting a ghoul, especially one as strong as the Owl. When he shouted in pain, Marude took the opportunity to tell the rest of the unit to fall out and head towards the exit.

“But… Mado…?” One of the agents started, only to be given a death glare from Marude.

“She’ll be fine! We can’t take him! We need to retreat! Think of your families!” The agent frowned, but nodded, turning to run while he had the chance.

Outside, the buses full of doves screeched to a halt. Iba, Shinohara and the rest of the unit started to empty out of the bus and sprint towards the entrance of the building. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the other unit being lead by Marude out of the building in a hurry.

“What’s happened?!” Iba panted, stopping with Shinohara and Marude on the stairs of the crumbling building.

“We couldn’t beat him… We had to retreat.” Marude said.

“Kasuka?!” Mado was searching the crowd for her, spinning in every direction to look at everyone’s panicking faces. “Where is she?!” He took a hold of one of the agents, who just pushed him away, pointed at the building and kept running. “KASUKA!” He shouted, running into the building.

“Mado!” Shinohara shouted. “Don’t go in there!” He started to sprint after him, followed by Iba and Arima.

 

 

Kasuka’s attacks were strong, it was as if the power of lightning and thunder were in each of her bold strikes. She dipped, dived and dodged each of the Owl’s attacks. She took a glance over her shoulder just as the last members of her unit exited to the stair case, letting a moment of relief and triumph wash over her body and allowing herself to become distracted. In that moment she was snatched, quinque shattering to the floor and breaking in two, and she was hoisted high into the air. The Owl narrowed his kagnue and struck her in the torso.

She wailed and he heard her. Mado practically fell over himself to get to the 124th floor, tears blinding him as he felt his heart taring through his chest. Behind him, Shinohara, Iba and Arima all caught up with him as he pushed through the heavy door. As it opened to reveal the scene, Mado’s breath caught and he felt as if his heart was about to burst and kill him on the spot. The others stopped behind him to take in the grotesque scene as it unfolded.

Kasuka was wailing and coughing up blood when the owl’s kagnue tore through her, silencing her as it pierced up and through her skull. Just as it happened, Iba grabbed Mado to restrain him and threw a hand over his eyes to save him from the sight. Brain matter and blood stained the walls, painting them in her memories and taking the light from her eyes. The Owl didn’t stop there, his kagnue working quickly to brake, tare and rip every limb from her body and drop them all to the concrete floor with a nauseating thud. Mado felt the blood leave his face and push through his veins. His muscles burned like fire, and the hatred and rage pulsed through him with every beat of his straining heart. The Owl took off through the hole in the wall and disappeared into the night sky, leaving the doves in a heavy silence.

_And he wept._

“Kureo…” Iba apologized quietly, incoherent to anyone but Mado himself. Iba held him tighter, embracing him from behind. “Kureo… I got you.”

“A…kira… w-what… do I tell… _oh_ … _Akira_ …” Mado whispered his daughter’s name between sobs and Iba hushed him. A hand came to Mado’s shoulder and Shinohara felt his friend shuttering under his armor. Iba turned them around, hand still shielding his vision. Mado could barely stand and Iba held his entire weight in his arms, slowly descending the stairs.

As quickly as they got up there, it seemed like ages before they were finally exiting the building. Iba slowly let go of Mado, helping him to collapse to his knees. When medics started to jog over, Iba put a hand out to stop them and assure that no one was hurt. The doves went silent, watching Mado from a distance. Shinohara side glanced the crowd, as did Arima, hearing the whispers start.

“Common…” Iba took his arm to help him up, but Mado tore away from him. “Mado…”

The white haired man slowly stood to his feet and straightened his back. He stood with determination, a tear still stuck to his cheek but his face read nothing of sorrow. His brow furrowed in anger, jaw clenched as he started to walk back to the buses. Shinohara, Iba and Arima watched him carefully. Everyone watched him, too, eyes following him as he climbed onto the bus.

“What a man.” Arima commented.

Iba nodded and started towards the bus. “What a man.” He repeated. “Let’s go home.” Arima exchanged a look with Shinohara before they followed Iba.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
